Predators vs Habs, You Want to See This Cup Final

Predators and Habs for the Cup! Admit it, you’d love to see this matchup in the Stanley Cup Finals. [tweetthis]One of hockey’s “Original 6” versus a relative newcomer to the powerhouse party would be epic! [/tweetthis]The hope of Canada riding on the best of seven games to return to Stanley Cup glory, against “Music City” possibly devastating an entire nation.

You laughed…

Back in December, some of you laughed when I predicted that the Predators would be hoisting the Stanley Cup in June. I felt then and still feel that the Preds have as good as, in not a better chance to be representing the Western Conference in the Stanley Cup Finals. While there is still a lot of hockey to be played in the season, and while the unforseen such as injuries can derail any strong prediction, the Predators are playing consistently strong hockey.

The Habs are making quite a run in the Eastern Conference. (Unless of course they are playing the Buffalo Sabres. Ouch!) They are currently tied for second in the Atlantic Division with the Detroit Red Wings with 67 points, 2 points behind the Tampa Bay Lightning. While the race to finish atop the division will certainly be furious, Montreal is well-suited to finish at or near the top.

He has been out for three weeks due to a knee injury sustained in a game against the Vancouver Canucks. There is no debate that he is an elite NHL goalie. In case you missed it, Rinne’s backup is not too shabby either:

These saves by Carter Hutton against the Toronto Maple Leafs were outrageous, and helped preserve the win for the Predators. Yahoo! Sports, Deadspin, and others are calling the no-look stick save the “save of the year.” The win was Hutton’s second in a row and fourth since filling in for the injured Rinne.

You can throw Brian Elliott of the St. Louis Blues or Chicago Blackhawks goalie Corey Crawford at me if you like. I won’t disagree that they, too are elite NHL goalies. But, I like Pekka Rinne who currently leads the league with 29 wins, and feel strongly that he will be the netminder from the Western Conference we will be watching in the Stanley Cup Finals.

Carey Price of the Montreal Canadiens is another strong goalie. I’d say elite but I don’t want to wear the word out. Okay, he is without question elite. His stats thus far are almost identical to Pekka Rinne’s, placing him third overall among goalies. Remember this windmill save against Sidney Crosby?

Price is having a phenomenal year for the Habs. He is also the backbone of his team. His 27 wins and .932 save percentage are first overall in the Eastern Conference.

Shea and PK

Shea Weber is a beast. His 108.5 mile per hour shot registered at the NHL All-Star Skills Competition was incredible. He is my candidate for the Norris Trophy as I wrote in January. He is a large defenseman who can dominate at either end of the ice:

Did Leafs goalie Jonathan Bernier even see that puck go by him and into the net? The television color analyst said he didn’t. I can imagine that before it is all said and done for this season, we will “see” more of those Shea Weber blasts.

I can see the NHL’s highest paid player blasting his team right into the Stanley Cup Finals. Can’t you?

PK Subban is a controversial figure. His latest cause for public scrutiny revolves around is propensity for “diving.” Say it isn’t so! Do NHL players actually embellish in the same manner as their counterparts in the NBA or on the soccer pitch? Apparently so:

A $2,000 fine for Subban will certainly put a stop to this kind of on-ice antic. Especially considering his $9 million a year contract. That $2k will really hurt.

All joking aside, PK Subban brings something special to the Montreal Canadiens. In what may very well have been a preview game to the epic Stanley Cup Final that you know you want to see, Subban lands the OT goal past Carter Hutton of the Predators for the Habs’ win:

While neither PK Subban nor Shea Weber are at the very top in terms of overall stats for defensemen this season – Weber is 7th and Subban is 12th – both are vital elements to the success of their team. It will be an epic battle indeed of these two are on opposite ends of the ice in this season’s Stanley Cup Finals.

Cast of characters

I could go into a lot more detail, focusing on individual players and what I see as their strengths for each team. I’d rather not write 2,000 words at this point. I will mention Filip Forsberg, Mike Ribeiro, and James Neal of the Predators. And Roman Josi on defense. These are a few of the Preds’ top players, and I think they are a formidable group. Forsberg is leading all rookies at this point, and showing no signs of slowing down. He is still the leading the pack of likely Calder Trophy candidates:

“His 2.84 points per 60 minutes played was absurd, and should have netted him the Calder Trophy with ease, but he was given very little ice time, and even less powerplay time.”

Berkshire goes on to call Galchenyuk an elite player:

Obviously Galchenyuk isn’t better than Crosby, or Stamkos, or Tavares, but his point production at this age puts him in an elite category that most people are reluctant to include him in.

Predators vs Habs: Admit it, it would be epic

Montreal has a cast of characters that are very formidable when matched up against a team like the Nashville Predators. I know, you can mention Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane. You can mention Marc-Andre Fleury, Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. You can throw Brian Elliott and TJ Oshie at me.

I’m not saying at all that the Blackhawks or the Penguins or the Blues are not legitimate contenders for the Stanley Cup this season, or that there are not other teams that could contend, too. I am saying that the Nashville Predators versus the Montreal Canadiens would be an epic Stanley Cup Final. I’d watch it eagerly. Admit it, you would, too.

Founded in 2009, The Hockey Writers is a premier destination for news and information on everything hockey. Updated daily with news and features from over 130 writers worldwide. Over 2 million monthly readers now come to THW for their hockey fix.